NOMINATIONS/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Brett Kavanaugh sought on Thursday [9-6-18] to settle one of the biggest questions of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing, telling Democrats that he has not discussed special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe with anyone at a law firm that’s long represented President Donald Trump. The clear disavowal from Kavanaugh may put to rest a daylong mystery that began when Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) appeared to rattle the nominee by asking late Wednesday whether he nominee has spoken about Mueller’s investigation with someone at Trump-connected firm Kasowitz Benson & Torres. Kavanaugh was unable to answer Harris at first, generating one of the confirmation hearing’s most talked-about moments, but he gave more complete ‘no’s’ to Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Harris on Thursday. Before that moment, Democrats have said they have reason to suspect Mueller’s investigation did come up in Kavanaugh’s dealings with someone from Kasowitz – pointing to Edward McNally, a partner at the firm who worked closely with Trump’s high court pick in George W. Bush’s White House. McNally appears in nearly two thousand of the Bush-era documents released to the Senate from Kavanaugh’s past, according to one Senate Democratic aide. However, when Harris first posed her question to the nominee Wednesday night, he appeared uncertain if he knew anyone affiliated with Kasowitz.”
–Elana Schor, “Dems dig in on Kavanaugh’s ties to Trump-connected law firm,” Politico, September 6, 2018 1:30 pm